"They're gonna get you, they're gonna get you in the end. It's not a disease it's a game of pretend, a game of pretend.."
Alice swung her brush as she sang along, a broad sweep of yellow through the bloody sky she was shaping above a landscape of lush greenery.
"Why is it me they're after, couldn't they pick another one?"
She bit her bottom lip, and slowly blended the round shape of the sun into the clouds hanging low, just above setting below the horizon.
"Horrible kids, would you look what you did? It was your ignorance, that formed a beast with your heads."
She leaned over and flicked off the speaker, and with one last look at her painting, and scooted her easel into the corner of her minuscule room. Her stomach rumbled deeply, and with a sigh, she sat down hard onto her bed, and looked out the bulbous round window. The unkempt lawn sprawled down a hill, long grass spilling over onto the cracked concrete sidewalk. There were no trees in her yard, but the house across the street was barely visible through the ancient weeping willow and the leafy oaks that inhabited it's property. Even the porch overflowed with potted plants of every shape and size. From succulents to creeping vines. Her best friend, River, lived there.
River was actually the reason she looked out the window, she had left a note for him on her way home from school, tucked into the plant on his bedroom windowsill. She knew he had gotten it, they had communicated in this way for years. Now all she had to do was wait for darkness to fall, and she could see him.
Her limbs began to grow stiff as she perched impatiently on her bed, her hand resting on the latch of the window. It was dark now, and she had turned off the dim lamp that lit her room so she could watch for River better.
Movement in his yard caught her eye, the branches of the willow shuddered and shook and he appeared, carrying a small bundle of things in his arms and looking up to her window. With a silent cry of happiness, she swung the window open, and crept out onto the roof, making a point to tread carefully and not let her excitement best her and get her caught. From the roof, her breath barely caught in her chest anymore as she leapt to the ground. An old mattress broke her fall, and dust billowed into the air as she rolled to ease the shock of her fall. River crossed the road quickly, and under the light of the stars and full moon, she could just make out the grin on his face. She dusted off her clothes, and walked around the other side of a storage shed, so that if anyone in her house looked out, they wouldn't see her. River met her in the shadows of the building, and he sat the bundle on the ground and hugged her tightly to his narrow chest.
"I'm sorry.." He murmured into her dark brown hair, "I'm just glad I can help you."
"River, you know that I'm used to it. And I appreciate you more than anything." Alice whispered back, as their embrace ended.
River broke into another goofy grin, and scooped up the bundle.
"My mom helped me, she knows more about this stuff than I do..." His cheeks grew red and he pulled a box of tampons from the t-shirt he wrapped everything in.
"Tell her I said thank you," Alice said as she accepted them. Her cheeks burning hot, she was embarrassed to have to rely on him and his parents like that. She knew they didn't mind, but it still bothered her.
The next things River pulled from the shirt, was a container of leftovers, several bottles of water, and a bag of homemade cookies.
Alice's stomach clenched as she saw the food, and River sat on the ground with her, so she could eat.
"How long this time..?" He looked at her from under his blonde lashes, his lanky figure slouching over so his face was close to hers.
"You and your parents were gone for... Four days?" She said through her mouthful of pasta, shrugging.
"So all you had was the school's food Monday and Tuesday?? Nothing over the weekend?" Anger flashed in his gray eyes, and he reached out for her knee. She let his cold palm rest there, and chewed a moment before she answered.
